Cyclists should wave at lorries in the style of Sir Simon Rattle conducting an orchestra to reduce the chances of being hit as they turn left at junctions and at traffic lights, Boris Johnson has said.

The mayor of London, who said women tend to be more vulnerable because they are more cautious and “hang back”, advised cyclists to move in front of heavy goods vehicles at junctions and gesture in the style of Rattle, who has been appointed music director of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Speaking on his LBC phone-in show, Johnson said: “What you need to do is get in front of the vehicle … make sure the truck driver knows you are there, indicate, wave – be like Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic: show that you are there.”

Asked by LBC host Nick Ferrari whether he was advising cyclists to take their hands off the handlebars, the mayor said: “No. You are stationary. This is at traffic lights.”

Johnson gave the example of a cyclist who was killed while riding a Boris bike last week at a junction in Victoria. “Typically what will happen is that the traffic will be stationary. .

“It was an absolutely ghastly accident. The traffic was motionless and then everybody took off and a female cyclist just was caught by a lorry turning left. He simply didn’t see her.”

Four months ago in the City a female cyclist died after being hit by a lorry.

Janina Gehlau, 26, from Dusseldorf, Germany, who was studying for a masters, died three days after the collision at the Royal London hospital.

The mayor said: “Any one of these deaths is one too many. If you go out on the streets of London today you will see police out in force on Operation Safeway.”

• This article was amended on 24 April 2015. An earlier version said the driver whose lorry hit Janina Gehlau “was not arrested and was cleared of any wrongdoing”. City of London police say the case is still being investigated.